Qrowin Week 2019
by blackbeanie
Summary: Qrowin Week 2019. Day Six: Qrow gets more than he bargained for when he tries to surprise Winter.
1. Day One: First

**Day One: First**

Rated T at most for Qrow's drinking.

* * *

Snow always made him think of her, and since he was keeping watch while the kids and old lady slept, he had nothing but time to think.

Winter Schnee; his first love.

For a while he thought he was in love with Summer, but thankfully he figured out that it wasn't romantic love he felt for her. She was kind, supportive and affectionate, and he just wasn't used to being treated that way, especially by women. Summer was the sister he never had (yes, he had Raven, Summer was the better sister he never had).

If he hadn't figured it out then, he would have after he met Winter; he had fallen so hard and fast it made his head spin in a way that he couldn't blame on alcohol. Hell, it had been so good he even started drinking less. Though it was still too much for her liking, it was the source of many of their arguments.

But it hadn't been the end of their relationship, the secrets he kept were what doomed them.

There were so many times he had almost cracked and told her, he hated lying to her, but it was necessary.

And now he knew all those secrets and all that time he spent away from her on missions were for nothing, that thought made him take another, long swig of his drink.

Hitting Oscar because of his anger at Ozpin was wrong, (he made a drunken mental note to apologise to the kid later), but with the coward hiding he had no outlet except for the bottle in his hand.

There was so much more he wanted to yell at Ozpin for, let the old man know exactly what his pointless cause had cost Qrow. His time with her had been the best, happiest years of his life, the ones after that were spent wallowing in misery and self-loathing.

Now they were heading towards her, he could find her, drop to his knees in front of her and beg for forgiveness,

But she'd want the answers that he never gave her before, and once she knew the whole truth, she'd want to join the fight. It wouldn't matter to her that it was hopeless, Winter was the type to fight to the bitter end.

Just like Summer.

No, he wouldn't let that happen to her, he'd continue keeping his distance and making her hate him. She was better off, and too good for an old drunk like him.

Winter Schnee, the first woman he ever loved.

Winter Schnee, the only woman he'd ever love.

* * *

**_Happy Qrowin Week_**


	2. Day Two: Moonlight

**Day Two: Moonlight**

Rated T for foreplay.

This was heavily inspired by a great picture on tumblr by artesstr.

artesstr. tumblr post/ 169638854973/late-night-visit-at-the-schnee-manor-3

* * *

It was a rare calm night in Atlas, no snow or strong winds, it made Qrow very happy as he flew towards the Schnee manor.

Don't misunderstand, he would battle a storm to see his girl, he just preferred not to.

It wasn't his first time sneaking in, so he went straight for her balcony and landed on the railing, trying to look inside.

The full moon was giving off enough light that he could see her asleep with her back to him and to his surprise the door was obviously not shut properly, he made a note to lecture/tease her about the security risk and changed back into his normal form.

He shut the door behind him, propped his scythe against the wall, and kept something hidden behind his back as he crept across the unnecessarily large room.

He was about five steps away when her she rolled over and he froze, struck by her beauty.

Her hair was loose and slightly mussed, exactly the way he like it, and the moonlight gave it and her pale skin an almost celestial glow. In her sleep she looked so peaceful and content, as if the many problems and worries that she told him about didn't exist.

Gods, he was a lucky bastard.

He sat on the edge of her bed, on a blanket that probably cost more than he made in month and touched her arm.

"Winter," he said, softly at first, then louder as he repeated himself.

He wasn't worried about waking the other people in the house, he knew from experience someone could be very loud in this room without anyone else hearing.

Winter's eyes opened and focused on him, she was glad to see him, then annoyed when she realised that he had broken in while she slept.

"Hey," he grinned.

She sat up, holding the bedsheet against her chest to either cover herself or stay warm, he wasn't sure and honestly, wasn't thinking too hard about it, distracted by the glimpse of silk underneath.

"Why are you here so late?" She sounded irritated, but he was hoping that was more from being woken up.

"You invited me up here for your birthday, remember?"

"The party isn't until Friday."

"But it's your birthday now."

She looked at the clock by her bed, it was past midnight, "I suppose it is."

"So…" he held up the present that he'd been hiding, "happy birthday."

She let out an amused scoff and took the gift from his hand, causing the sheet to fall from her chest.

The silk he'd seen was negligee, violet in colour, hugging her hips and breasts tightly, and it didn't look like it covered much if any of her thighs.

There was no way she didn't hear the bestial grunt that he couldn't keep down, but she didn't react

"That's a nice nightgown."

"This old thing, thank you," there was a hint of a flirt in her tone, and he was sure he could see a smirk.

There was no way that was more than a week old, and way too sheer for the cold Altas nights; she was up to something.

Winter parted the light blue wrapping paper slowly and cleanly, as she'd been taught. It was obvious that the gift was a book, but she was curious and wary about what sort of book this scoundrel would get her.

If it was a book of sex positions, she was going to beat him over the head with it.

Instead, she saw the title _Cooking Made Simple._

"Very funny," she grumbled. You accidently set one oven on fire trying to make dinner for someone and they never let you hear the end of it.

"I thought so," he smirked, "aren't you supposed to thank someone when they get you a gift."

"Thank you, Qrow," she said without a hint of sincerity.

"Your welcome," he scooted closer, "take off the cover."

"Pardon?"

He pointed at the removable plastic jacket on the book.

Much more curious this time, she did what he said and found a completely different book underneath, this one was older but very familiar to her.

"_Tales of the Shattered Moon_," her voice was soft with nostalgia, she wanted to hug to book to her chest.

A wave of memories washed over her, sitting on her grandfather's lap while he read to her, laughing at the funny voices he made.

Qrow grinned at the happiness radiating from her.

"I love it, thank you" she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, "how did you know about this?"

"You told me."

"When?"

"Not long after we first met, I was telling you about my nieces and the stories I used to read to 'em and you talked about that one. I spotted it a while back and thought you'd like it."

This was not a copy that you just found in a store, this was early edition, something you had to track down.

"You remembered that?"

"Yeah," he sounded almost bashful, "I know you don't think so, but I listen to you."

Clearly. She put the book on her bedside table, "come here."

"Yes, ma'am."

He was kissing her before she could lie down, unable to wait after not seeing her for more than a fortnight, she seemed to feel the same way.

"I really like this thing," he rubbed his thumb over the soft material barely covering her breast.

It was hard to talk when he was touching her like that, but she managed, "I spotted it a while back and thought you'd like it."

He paused, but very briefly, "you knew I was coming tonight."

She smirked.

He sighed, sounding more disappointed than he was, "I'm getting predictable."

"Not really, I expected you a few hours earlier."

"How rude of me," he whispered as he kissed under her ear, "allow me to make it up to you."

* * *

_**I figure if Qrow can carry his scythe while in bird form then a book should be fine.**_


	3. Day Three: Luck

**Day Three: Luck**

Rated, maybe, T for a couple of minor swear words and description of injuries.

* * *

Qrow tried not to crush the flowers in his hands as he walked through the sterile hospital hallway, retracing his steps from the day before. He hated seeing her hurt and knowing what was ahead was making his heart beat so hard it was causing his whole chest to drum.

He was so distracted by it that he walked straight into Ironwood's back.

"Oh, good afternoon, Qrow."

"What're you doing here, Jimmy?"

"Just delivering my best wishes."

"Nice of you to show up," Willow Schnee said from her oldest child's bedside, "I only messaged you five hours ago."

"Mother, please don't," Winter said, her voice rough.

She looked a lot better, the swelling and bruising on her face had dulled to light purple shading around her left eye. Her right arm had been popped back into its socket and while it wasn't strapped, she wasn't moving it, and her right leg was in a cast until her aura could heal the broken bone.

He tried not to think about how the gash on her stomach looked.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she said in that tone that meant don't worry about me.

"I got you some-" As he held out the flowers, he noticed a table to the side of the room covered in extravagant, expensive bouquets of plants he couldn't even name.

Qrow let his hand drop with a defeated sigh.

"Bring them here," Winter said.

He pushed past the other two and held them out sheepishly, she took with an warm smile.

"My favourite, thank you."

Willow took the flowers and added them to table, they looked even smaller right next to the others.

"How long are they keeping you here?" Qrow asked, taking Willow's seat while her back was turned.

"Another night, then I should be healed enough."

"I can't help but noticed you came out unscathed, Qrow," he could feel Willow's icy glare on the back of his head.

"We were surprised by an ursa, Mother. It could have gone for either of us, I was just unlucky."

Qrow's stomach twisted, he could vaguely hear Winter defending him, explaining how he had fought off the grimm and gotten her to safety, _unlucky _kept echoing in his head.

He was pulled back by Winter touching his hand, he tried to smile at her, but it was weak.

She gave him a concerned look and he mentally kicked himself for making her worry about when she should be focusing on herself.

"Could we have a few minutes alone, please?" Winter asked.

"Very well," Willow said begrudgingly, moving towards the door, "shall we try and find some potable coffee, James?"

"As you wish," he offered her his arm and she took it with a smile.

"I know that look," Winter said after a moment, still holding his hand, "it wasn't your fault."

"Feels like it."

"Is that why you went out drinking?"

He winced; she always knew somehow.

"And is that why you were so late getting here?" The disappointment in her voice was so familiar it almost didn't bother him anymore.

Feeling cornered, he went on the defensive, "what, you couldn't resist Ironwood's recruitment crap for a few hours?"

She faltered for a second, "about that…"

"You're kidding," he said, "you're messing with me because I was late."

"I'm not. I know you have issues with it, but I really think it's what's best for me," she prayed he would be reasonable about this, just thinking about the conversation had been making her sick.

"No," he stood up and started pacing, "we talked about this."

"Maybe if you hadn't been nursing a hangover, we wouldn't be talking about it again," that wasn't true, she just wanted to take a jab.

He growled and stopped pacing, looking at her impatiently.

"I don't…" her voice broke and she had to stop to collect herself, "I don't have a team anymore and it severely limits my mission options as a huntress."

The guilt in her eyes was still as fresh as the day he'd told her about their deaths. He'd tried to put the blame on himself since he was technically leading the mission, but she'd insisted that as team leader the responsibility was hers.

He wondered if she'd still blame herself for it if she knew about his semblance.

"And you refuse to let me work with you or Professor Ozpin, I just don't see any other alternatives," she continued.

Neither did he, and it drove him insane.

"I need some stability in my life," he had a feeling he was contributing to that need, "and a consistent income if I'm going to get away from my father."

He would spend years kicking himself for what he said next, "so you go from taking orders from one Atlas bastard to another."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"You're smart, figure it out."

Now there was a tension, like something was about to explode, "what if instead of insulting my decisions and telling me what to do, like you keep criticising other people for, you offer an alternative?"

Oh, he had been wracking his brain for months trying to figure out something, anything.

"Do you have _any_ positive suggestions, Qrow?" There was a hint of pleading in her voice.

His body sagged with defeat, "no, I don't."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

He headed for the door; he needed a drink if he was going to deal with this.

She sat up like she was going to go after him, "will you act like a grown up and talk to me?"

"What's to talk about, you've already accepted."

Winter was in pain, and she was so, so tired of this. What had been a source of fun and freedom in the beginning had just become another battle for her.

Maybe if she hadn't been feeling so helpless in that bed she wouldn't have said what she did, "If you leave now, don't come back."

He paused, not turning around. In his mind he could still perfectly see her bleeding, broken body and in his heart, he knew that it was his fault. He could stop it from happening again.

"Fine," he waved goodbye without looking at her. Screaming at himself that this was what best for her.

He wished he'd been a little faster, so that he wouldn't hear what she said next.

"Meeting you was the worst luck of my life."

* * *

_**I like to yo-yo between sad and happy, back to happy tomorrow.**_


	4. Day Four: Whisper

**Day Four: Whisper**

* * *

Winter wasn't used to showing or voicing affection.

When she was young it was more common in the Schnee house; back then her father was still maintaining the charade that he loved his wife and children. When she had bad dreams or woke up in the night, she would find him in his office and sleep in his lap while he worked late or when her mother tucked her in and stroked her hair until she fell asleep.

Then as she got older the rules changed, as if once you reached a certain age hugs weren't acceptable anymore, it was horrible, but she adapted.

When she started her romantic relationship with Qrow, his affectionate habits caught her off guard, simple things like a kiss hello, a hand on her back baffled her, the first time he surprised her with a hug from behind she went into self-defence mode and almost punched him.

"I can stop," he offered.

"I didn't say that," she had tried and failed not to blush at the suggestion, "it'll just take some adjustment, nothing I can't handle."

And adjust she did, she started reciprocating his kisses and leaning into his touch, it took very little time for her to start enjoying it.

Turns out Qrow enjoyed it too, he was a bit of a glutton for it, if he caught her sitting he would put his head in her lap, when they shared a bed he was a champion snuggler (which he warned her vehemently not to tell anyone about, and she replied with, "or what, you'll cuddle me to death?")

While her actions improved, she still struggled with words. The first time Qrow said he loved her (while sober), she literally choked on air. Then he started laughing, she started hitting him and he started laughing harder, it was not particularly romantic.

He never pushed or even expected her to say it back, which she was grateful for, but she still wanted to. The problem was when she tried her tongue seemed to seize up and her father's scolding face and expected to see the same expression on Qrow after saying it.

It was absurd, she knew that, but it didn't stop her from thinking it.

One night, when they were curled up in bed together, she found herself unable to sleep and started to entertain herself by playing with his hair, it was much softer than it looked, and she liked how it felt sliding along her fingers.

Qrow stirred at the first touch but relaxed again at the pleasant feeling.

"Win," he mumbled as he shifted closer.

Her ministrations paused as the thought came to her, she waited a few moments, making sure he fully asleep and gathering her courage.

"I love you," she whispered, suddenly feeling like the young, smitten woman that she was. She buried her spinning head in his shoulder and smiled, almost laughing with relief.

She was both glad and disappointed when Qrow didn't respond, it would still be some time before she was ready for his reaction.

Until then, she was happy to practice like this.

* * *

...


	5. Day Five: Blankets

**Day Five: Blankets**

Because you don't end up going into labour after being stranded in the snowy wilderness without a little bad luck.

* * *

As a new round of screaming started Qrow had to dig his nails into palms as he paced to keep himself from pulling out his flask. He refused to have the smell of alcohol on him when he first held his baby.

_If the kid survives_, the nasty little voice in the back of his mind whispered.

He shook his head to try and silence it, Maria said she had delivered babies before and knew what she was doing, and he was waiting outside to try and keep his semblance from interfering.

Well, from interfering any more than it had; you didn't end up going into labour after being stranded in the snowy wilderness without a little bad luck.

At least they had found an old cabin, though everyone else not involved with the birth had to wait in the half-collapsed foyer.

The kids were gathered around the salvaged fireplace, he didn't feel the warmth from the fire or the chill from the snow.

Finally, Winter's screaming stopped and was replaced with high pitched screeches.

Yang and Ruby were practically bouncing, trying to peek through the holes in the wall at their new cousin, Nora grabbed him by shoulders and started shaking him, squealing with excitement.

A few moments later, Weiss came out of the bedroom, looking just as stressed as he felt.

"She's asking for you."

Qrow nodded and clenched his hands one more time before going inside.

The screeching was starting to lessen as Winter cradled the dark-haired newborn to her chest. He was naked, slimy and squirming like a worm.

He was perfect.

"Typical Schnee, letting everyone know he's unhappy."

Winter gave him a very tired glare, but she was still smiling. "Typical Branwen, crying until he gets a drink."

Carefully, he made his way towards them, still scared that this could be destroyed in an instant.

"How're you feeling?"

"Physically? Awful."

He wasn't stupid enough to say that she looked it too, her skin was gleaming with a layer of sweat, her face was still bright red from exertion and her hair was either sticking out or to her skin.

It was hard to tell who was more of a mess, her or the baby.

Winter cooed and shushed softly while her son settled, though he was still moving around, trying to snuggle closer to his mother.

He noticed her arms and hands quivering slightly.

"Pass me my jacket," she pointed behind him.

He did as she said and tried to drape the white fabric over her shoulders, but she shook her head.

"It's not for me."

"No, you're cold too," he made sure she was snug.

"Alright," she knew he wasn't going to let his son go cold so he must have something else in mind.

Qrow reached under his collar and unclipped the right latch attaching his cape to his shirt, then did the same with the left.

"And he looks better in red anyway," he shrugged at her surprised look.

With some careful co-ordinating from both parents, they managed to wrap the cape around the newborn.

Now that he was warm, he started finally stopped crying and squirmed less, though one of his tiny hands escaped the blanket and reached aimlessly in Qrow's direction.

The new father reached back, his own hand shaking now.

"Hey, little guy."

Scared that he would be too rough, he only brushed his fingertips over his son's palm.

"He's so soft," he whispered, so fragile.

Winter hmm-ed in agreement, staring at the little one with adoring eyes.

Gods, he felt like passing out, but she'd never let him live him down, instead he kissed her shoulder and rested his chin there. Winter let her head loll against his and they both watched their son.

Qrow never understood his sister less than he did right now, he couldn't imagine leaving this kid, it would be like giving up a piece of his soul.

"You as scared as I am?" He asked after a moment.

She nodded, "but I think between the two of us, we'll manage. Not to mention-"

"Can we see him yet; we're dying out here!" Ruby yelled from the other room.

"The people around us," Winter finished.

"Yeah," he tried to fix her hair, "we'll manage."

* * *

…


	6. Day Six: Scars

**Day Six: Scars**

_Qrow gets more than he bargained for when he tries to surprise Winter._

* * *

Qrow was half asleep when Winter said something and touched his arm.

"Hmm?" He grunted, not opening his eyes.

"I said, this is new."

He realised she was touching the raw, red lines on left bicep and his eyes shot open.

"What happened?"

He shrugged and tried to enjoy her fingers tracing his skin, "not sure, something must have nicked me."

When she didn't stop her inspection, he started sweating.

"I've never seen a… bite, I think, like this," her eyebrows and her nose were scrunched as she concentrated, normally he found that face adorable but right now it was just making him nervous. "It's going to be a nasty scar."

He rolled onto his side, conveniently hiding the wound against the mattress, and wrapped his arm around her.

"No need to make a fuss over little, old me, I'm fine."

Her cheeks turned pink, "I'm not-"

He cut her off by kissing her, one of his favourite things to do, and set on making her forget all about this conversation.

_**11 hours earlier…**_

The sight of Winter's apartment building was an incredible relief, the wind was determined to kill him before he could get to her.

It was actually a nice day for Atlas if you were walking instead of flying, but his way was quicker.

As he got closer, he noticed that one of her windows was open and the little lightbulb over his head switched on. He could go through the front door and surprise her that way, like a regular, boring… boyfriend, for lack of a better word, but that wasn't his style.

He landed on the windowsill and shock the melting snow off his feathers before hopping onto her desk.

Everything was immaculately laid out, papers, the three pens that had three different ink colours, more papers.

There was a framed family photograph on the side, but no pictures of him, which he would be offended by, but there was one hidden in the drawer that Winter thought he didn't know about, just like she didn't know about the one in his wallet.

As he debated pecking at Jacques face, something started creeping up behind him.

* * *

Winter was happily curled up on her couch with hot tea and good book when her peace was shattered by panicked squawking and angry yowls.

She ran to her office and saw a flustered crow fly out her window and a white Persian cat chewing on a clump of black feathers.

Winter picked up her pet and cuddled her to her chest, "did that mean bird scare you, Diana?"

The cat purred contently as her human shut the window.

"Oh, my poor sweet girl," Winter scratched her chin, "come sit with me."

* * *

…


End file.
